"The Wild Side" Sample Chapter
Chapter 1
As soon as Alena Johnson woke, she knew that something was wrong. She was unusually groggy and felt as though she could sleep for hours. When her eyes opened, she expected to see the ugly, dark brown ceiling of her bedroom and smell the lilac potpourri her sister bought her last Christmas. To her surprise the ceiling was white, and her room at home certainly never smelled like bleach.
This had to be a dream. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few minutes everything would go back to normal.
“I know you’re awake. You might as well get up.”
Alena sat up in shock, still keeping her eyes tightly closed. This didn’t make sense. She went to bed safely in her own house. How did she end up somewhere different? Bracing herself, Alena opened her eyes and looked toward the voice. What she found was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She could tell he was tall, even though he was leaning against a dresser, and not standing at his full height. He had dark hair and engaging blue eyes. He was the kind of man most women dreamed about.
Unfortunately, he also seemed very annoyed with her.
“You slept a lot longer than we thought you would. It took a while for the drug to wear off.” He crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a look of pure aggravation. “ I’ve been waiting for two hours.”
Alena gazed around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Drug? What happened? She was sitting on what appeared to be a hospital bed. The room was stark, blinding white. Several other beds filled the large space, although they were all empty. There were various pieces of medical equipment scattered throughout the room and one small door to the left of her bed.
“Where am I?”
The man grimaced as he moved away from the dresser. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.” He walked over to the small night stand to her left and handed her the glass of water sitting on it. “Are you thirsty?”
Alena could only shake her head. “Did I get into an accident? This is a hospital right?”
“No, you were not in an accident.” He carefully sat on the bed next to her. “It will all be explained to you soon. What we need right now is for you to get dressed. ” He nodded toward her.
Get dressed? Alena peeked down. She was naked! The sheet, that at one time must have been covering her, was pooled around her waist. She yanked it up and wrapped it around herself. “Get off the bed! Where did my clothes go?”
The man smirked and jumped up, holding his hands in surrender, “They got dirty when we carried you. We had to remove them.”
“What?” Alena yelled as she prepared to stand up. “What do you mean you carried me?”
The man slowly backed away, looking at her thoughtfully. “I will tell you more after you are settled. It will be explained.” He turned to walk toward the door. “You have a set of clothes in the dresser. When dressed, go through the door, and I will be waiting.”
Alena was furious. “You better not have been looking at me naked all day.”
“Of course not,” he joked, swiveling his head around to wink at her. “Besides, I only saw your boobs.”
Alena picked up the glass of water and threw it at his head. To her surprise, it missed. The man simply picked up the glass, which didn’t even have the courtesy to break, and continued toward the door.
“Can I at least know your name?”
The man slowed for a moment. “My name is Leander Williams. I’m the alpha of the Southern California Feline Pride.”
Alena could feel her jaw drop. “Feline what?”
Leander didn’t stop again or answer her question.
There were two things Alena was sure of. One, she was involved in something way out of her control. Two, Leander Williams was going to drive her crazy.
Leander smiled as he entered the small sitting area just outside the treatment room. He placed the now empty glass on a table and settled himself into a pansy looking pink chair. Why his people chose whites and pastels for a medical building was beyond him.
Alena Johnson was everything he hoped she would be. Most women would be hysterical in a situation like this. Alena was instead trying to logically determine what happened. He had searched all over the United States looking for the perfect person to bring to California, and with Alena, he had found her.
As leader of the pride it was his duty to make sure that answers were found to every problem. Unfortunately, the latest problem was proving to be too difficult for even the Alpha to solve. Female feline shifters were having trouble conceiving, and when they did conceive, miscarriage was common. In a normal year, every pride should have around fifteen new births. The last two years only averaged five. The pride’s numbers were falling and mated pairs were becoming too discouraged to even try having children.
The pride was also experiencing a large number of health problems. Historically, their kind was healthy and very rarely caught diseases of any kind. The last few years brought a multitude of unknown illnesses and an inability for their youngest members to digest food correctly. The very best of the feline doctors were unable to determine the cause.
Human doctors weren’t considered an option. How could a shifter go to a human doctor or to a vet without causing questions? Their secret would be discovered, and they couldn’t afford that. Besides, the pride had both feline and human traits. They needed someone who understood both.
When several mated pairs started coming to Leander for help, he had no idea what to do. Then, he found Alena. She was the answer to their problem. He was sure of it. Not only did Alena work as a vet, specifically for the Detroit Zoo’s big cat department, but she also worked as a human doctor for several years before switching to veterinary.
The sound of the door opening interrupted Leander’s thoughts. He glanced up to see Alena stomping her way to him and promptly felt his jaw hit the floor. What on Earth was she wearing? As she neared him, Leander was forced to stifle a laugh. When he sent his second in command, his Beta, to her house to grab an extra set of clothes, he never meant this.
It was a dress… a very short dress.
Leander had seen Alena many times. He observed her for weeks before bringing her to the pride. She usually wore baggy jeans and t-shirts or work scrubs at the vet office. A dress was something he had never seen her wear. Although Leander knew she was beautiful, he never knew she looked like this. The red dress was short and fit every curve of her body perfectly. It showed off her long legs and had a neckline so low, he was sure it would fall all the way down at any moment. Judging by what he saw earlier, Leander knew he wouldn’t mind that one bit.
It was obvious that Alena was not pleased to be wearing the dress. She had a scowl on her face and kept tugging at it to either make the neckline higher or the bottom longer. On her feet was an old pair of gym shoes that had seen better days. Alena stopped in front of him and put a hand on her hip.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
Leander bit back another laugh. “I’m sorry. When I sent my beta in to grab clothes, I assumed he would choose something less…”
“Hookerish?” She said exasperated.
“Well, I was going to say sexy.” He gave his best innocent smile.
Alena once again tugged at the hem of her dress. “Sure. You would think this was sexy. It’s an old Halloween costume.”
“It looks like it will now be your temporary work uniform.”
The tugging stopped and Alena gave him an incredulous stare. “What kind of work? I still don’t know where I am?”
“Walk with me.” Leander stood, grabbed Alena’s hand and strolled toward a large set of double doors just behind the sitting area. He walked her through the door onto a balcony that overlooked a large grassy area filled with trees, a small pond, and many groups of lions, tigers, and other big cats playing.
Alena gasped. “There are so many types of cats. Is this a zoo?” She noticed Leander staring at her, gauging her reaction.
“This is not a zoo. You are in southern California, about thirty minutes from the Mexican border. We call ourselves the Southern California Feline Pride, although to the human population this is the Southern California Big Cat Sanctuary.” Several of the lions were observing Leander and Alena on the balcony. He had told the pride of his plans, and they all knew who she was.
“Did you say humans, as in you’re not human?”
Leander grabbed both her hands and turned her toward him. “No, Alena. We are not fully human.”
She quickly pulled her hands from his grasp and backed away. “Then, what are you?”
“Feline Shifters. We are half human, half cat. Some of us are lions, some tigers; almost every large cat can be found here.” Leander climbed onto the small platform near the front of the balcony. He waited for the other cats to stop what they were doing.
“What does a bunch of feline shifters want with me?
Leander didn’t answer. He simply opened his arms wide and let out a loud roar that vibrated through the land. All the other cats threw their heads back and returned his roar with joyous ones of their own. Leander faced Alena once again. Her face had gone pale. He could see her wringing her hands.
“You, Alena Johnson, are going to be our savior.”
As soon as Alena Johnson woke, she knew that something was wrong. She was unusually groggy and felt as though she could sleep for hours. When her eyes opened, she expected to see the ugly, dark brown ceiling of her bedroom and smell the lilac potpourri her sister bought her last Christmas. To her surprise the ceiling was white, and her room at home certainly never smelled like bleach.
This had to be a dream. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few minutes everything would go back to normal.
“I know you’re awake. You might as well get up.”
Alena sat up in shock, still keeping her eyes tightly closed. This didn’t make sense. She went to bed safely in her own house. How did she end up somewhere different? Bracing herself, Alena opened her eyes and looked toward the voice. What she found was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She could tell he was tall, even though he was leaning against a dresser, and not standing at his full height. He had dark hair and engaging blue eyes. He was the kind of man most women dreamed about.
Unfortunately, he also seemed very annoyed with her.
“You slept a lot longer than we thought you would. It took a while for the drug to wear off.” He crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a look of pure aggravation. “ I’ve been waiting for two hours.”
Alena gazed around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Drug? What happened? She was sitting on what appeared to be a hospital bed. The room was stark, blinding white. Several other beds filled the large space, although they were all empty. There were various pieces of medical equipment scattered throughout the room and one small door to the left of her bed.
“Where am I?”
The man grimaced as he moved away from the dresser. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.” He walked over to the small night stand to her left and handed her the glass of water sitting on it. “Are you thirsty?”
Alena could only shake her head. “Did I get into an accident? This is a hospital right?”
“No, you were not in an accident.” He carefully sat on the bed next to her. “It will all be explained to you soon. What we need right now is for you to get dressed. ” He nodded toward her.
Get dressed? Alena peeked down. She was naked! The sheet, that at one time must have been covering her, was pooled around her waist. She yanked it up and wrapped it around herself. “Get off the bed! Where did my clothes go?”
The man smirked and jumped up, holding his hands in surrender, “They got dirty when we carried you. We had to remove them.”
“What?” Alena yelled as she prepared to stand up. “What do you mean you carried me?”
The man slowly backed away, looking at her thoughtfully. “I will tell you more after you are settled. It will be explained.” He turned to walk toward the door. “You have a set of clothes in the dresser. When dressed, go through the door, and I will be waiting.”
Alena was furious. “You better not have been looking at me naked all day.”
“Of course not,” he joked, swiveling his head around to wink at her. “Besides, I only saw your boobs.”
Alena picked up the glass of water and threw it at his head. To her surprise, it missed. The man simply picked up the glass, which didn’t even have the courtesy to break, and continued toward the door.
“Can I at least know your name?”
The man slowed for a moment. “My name is Leander Williams. I’m the alpha of the Southern California Feline Pride.”
Alena could feel her jaw drop. “Feline what?”
Leander didn’t stop again or answer her question.
There were two things Alena was sure of. One, she was involved in something way out of her control. Two, Leander Williams was going to drive her crazy.
Leander smiled as he entered the small sitting area just outside the treatment room. He placed the now empty glass on a table and settled himself into a pansy looking pink chair. Why his people chose whites and pastels for a medical building was beyond him.
Alena Johnson was everything he hoped she would be. Most women would be hysterical in a situation like this. Alena was instead trying to logically determine what happened. He had searched all over the United States looking for the perfect person to bring to California, and with Alena, he had found her.
As leader of the pride it was his duty to make sure that answers were found to every problem. Unfortunately, the latest problem was proving to be too difficult for even the Alpha to solve. Female feline shifters were having trouble conceiving, and when they did conceive, miscarriage was common. In a normal year, every pride should have around fifteen new births. The last two years only averaged five. The pride’s numbers were falling and mated pairs were becoming too discouraged to even try having children.
The pride was also experiencing a large number of health problems. Historically, their kind was healthy and very rarely caught diseases of any kind. The last few years brought a multitude of unknown illnesses and an inability for their youngest members to digest food correctly. The very best of the feline doctors were unable to determine the cause.
Human doctors weren’t considered an option. How could a shifter go to a human doctor or to a vet without causing questions? Their secret would be discovered, and they couldn’t afford that. Besides, the pride had both feline and human traits. They needed someone who understood both.
When several mated pairs started coming to Leander for help, he had no idea what to do. Then, he found Alena. She was the answer to their problem. He was sure of it. Not only did Alena work as a vet, specifically for the Detroit Zoo’s big cat department, but she also worked as a human doctor for several years before switching to veterinary.
The sound of the door opening interrupted Leander’s thoughts. He glanced up to see Alena stomping her way to him and promptly felt his jaw hit the floor. What on Earth was she wearing? As she neared him, Leander was forced to stifle a laugh. When he sent his second in command, his Beta, to her house to grab an extra set of clothes, he never meant this.
It was a dress… a very short dress.
Leander had seen Alena many times. He observed her for weeks before bringing her to the pride. She usually wore baggy jeans and t-shirts or work scrubs at the vet office. A dress was something he had never seen her wear. Although Leander knew she was beautiful, he never knew she looked like this. The red dress was short and fit every curve of her body perfectly. It showed off her long legs and had a neckline so low, he was sure it would fall all the way down at any moment. Judging by what he saw earlier, Leander knew he wouldn’t mind that one bit.
It was obvious that Alena was not pleased to be wearing the dress. She had a scowl on her face and kept tugging at it to either make the neckline higher or the bottom longer. On her feet was an old pair of gym shoes that had seen better days. Alena stopped in front of him and put a hand on her hip.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
Leander bit back another laugh. “I’m sorry. When I sent my beta in to grab clothes, I assumed he would choose something less…”
“Hookerish?” She said exasperated.
“Well, I was going to say sexy.” He gave his best innocent smile.
Alena once again tugged at the hem of her dress. “Sure. You would think this was sexy. It’s an old Halloween costume.”
“It looks like it will now be your temporary work uniform.”
The tugging stopped and Alena gave him an incredulous stare. “What kind of work? I still don’t know where I am?”
“Walk with me.” Leander stood, grabbed Alena’s hand and strolled toward a large set of double doors just behind the sitting area. He walked her through the door onto a balcony that overlooked a large grassy area filled with trees, a small pond, and many groups of lions, tigers, and other big cats playing.
Alena gasped. “There are so many types of cats. Is this a zoo?” She noticed Leander staring at her, gauging her reaction.
“This is not a zoo. You are in southern California, about thirty minutes from the Mexican border. We call ourselves the Southern California Feline Pride, although to the human population this is the Southern California Big Cat Sanctuary.” Several of the lions were observing Leander and Alena on the balcony. He had told the pride of his plans, and they all knew who she was.
“Did you say humans, as in you’re not human?”
Leander grabbed both her hands and turned her toward him. “No, Alena. We are not fully human.”
She quickly pulled her hands from his grasp and backed away. “Then, what are you?”
“Feline Shifters. We are half human, half cat. Some of us are lions, some tigers; almost every large cat can be found here.” Leander climbed onto the small platform near the front of the balcony. He waited for the other cats to stop what they were doing.
“What does a bunch of feline shifters want with me?
Leander didn’t answer. He simply opened his arms wide and let out a loud roar that vibrated through the land. All the other cats threw their heads back and returned his roar with joyous ones of their own. Leander faced Alena once again. Her face had gone pale. He could see her wringing her hands.
“You, Alena Johnson, are going to be our savior.”
